PR Executives Urge Action Over Post Office Horizon IT Scandal

Andy Green, author and founder of AndyGreenCreativity, and I have asked the CEOs of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) and the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) what they are doing to investigate professional misconduct of those PR executives working for the Post Office during the introduction of the now discredited Horizon IT software programme.

The disastrous roll-out of Horizon led to more than 700 sub postmasters and sub postmistresses being falsely prosecuted and, in some cases, going to prison. Four died by suicide.

Andy and I are appalled that the public relations team for the Post Office worked with lawyers to create a narrative defending the software system devised by Fujitsu, despite the fact that the PR executives knew the Horizon IT system was loaded with bugs.

Like 3.9 million viewers I binge watched the ITV dramatrisation “Mr Bates vs The Post Office: The drama on the Horizon IT scandal.

We believe that this is a people issue. It’s about treating people, who have been through hell and back, fairly. It’s all too easy for PR executives to pen a phrase or two to get the Post Office and Fujitsu off the hook. The Horizon IT affair is so clearly a gross miscarriage of justice and those that had a hand in this fiasco should bear the responsibility for their actions.

A petition to have the then CEO of the Post Office Paula Vennells’ CBE removed has collected 1,071,271 signatures (as of 12.00 hrs, Monday 8 January).

Many people are arguing that the Post Office management team, board, and Fujitsu executives should face criminal charges for failing to identify Horizon system failures, continuing to prosecute employees after flaws were identified, and then engage in continuing obfuscation and cover-up.

Thus we believe the CIPR has a duty to call out the actions of public relations executives if they fall below acceptable standards of conduct, especially as in this case they were involved in what is regarded as the “one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in English legal history”.

There is a need to scope any CIPR and PRCA investigation into this scandal to go beyond the specific instance detailed.

Whoever was a senior Comms/PR person working at the Post Office, who had access to information that the Post Office was being dishonest and unethical in its treatment of the sub postmasters and sub mistresses, had a duty of care to advise the Post Office of its wrongdoing, or, even in our opinion to be whistle-blowers and act ethically.

Notes

Andy Green and I are members of the The PR and Communications of the PRCA which provides a formal mechanism to consult with the industry's most senior practitioners on the issues PR and communications. Additionally, Andy and I are fellows of the CIPR. I am also a member of the Professional Standards Panel of the CIPR, but rightly I would have to recluse myself from the committe if the Horizon IT case comes before it.

Contacts

Andy Green

Mobile: 07815 884 525. Email: [email protected] LinkedIn:? https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/andy-green-frsa-fcipr-565325/

Robert Minton-Taylor

Landline: 01535 634 634. Mobile: 07947 818 816. Email [email protected] LinkedIn: https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/robertmintontaylor

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